Nearly 210 metres in size, the asteroid is larger than the Statue of Unity, which is 192 metres tall.
Is the Statue of Unity in Danger?
- Asteroids are rocks left over from the solar system’s creation.
- On September 18, the asteroid will be rather close to Earth. The distance between the object and the planet will be only 47,42,252 kilometres.
This week, an asteroid larger than the Statue of Unity is heading toward Earth as NASA conducts testing of its asteroid deflection equipment in deep space. The Near Earth Object is larger than the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, the tallest statue in the world, at roughly 210 metres in size.
Asteroids are rocky pieces that were left over when the solar system formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The NASA Joint Propulsion Laboratory states that an asteroid is considered to be close to Earth if it is less than 1.3 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, which is around 93 million miles away (JPL).
The asteroid, 2005 RX3, will approach Earth on September 18 at a startling speed of 62,820 kilometres per hour. When seen on the cosmic scale of the cosmos, the object will pass within 47,42,252 kilometres of the planet, which is a rather near distance.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been monitoring the asteroid since it last passed by Earth in 2005. Since 1900, the JPL has made data available concerning its close encounters with Earth. In March 2036, the asteroid will make a close pass of Earth on its way back to the Sun.
This week, four more asteroids are getting close.
While 2005 RX3 will fly by Earth on September 18, NASA is still keeping track of four additional objects as they progress along their orbital paths.
The following four asteroids are currently travelling near Earth:
- 2020 PT4: The asteroid will travel at a speed of 39,024 kilometres per hour and go as close to Earth as 71,890,007 kilometres.
- The roughly 130-meter-long asteroid is scheduled to slam into Earth on September 16 at a speed of 34,200 kilometres per hour.
- 2022 QB37: On September 18, the asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth, travelling only 65,16,483 kilometres from the globe.
- By the end of this week, the asteroid 2022 QJ50 will be travelling toward Earth and will fly by at a speed of 33,156 kilometres per hour.
